Monday, 9 November 2009: Visiting Mexico and Central America is to be made easier and better value for international travellers with the launch of the latest in oneworld's market-leading range of alliance fares, Visit Mexico and Central America.

The move mark the addition of Mexicana to the grouping from midnight tonight, along with its regional affiliates MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink - which brings Mexico and Central America's leading airline on board the world's leading quality airline alliance.

oneworld's new Visit Mexico and Central America pass offers visitors to the region great value travel throughout the entire domestic networks of Mexicana, MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink - as well as their flights serving Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama.

Between them, they serve 37 destinations throughout their home country - a more extensive network within Mexico than any other carrier offers - covering the historic capital Mexico City to the rolling surf of the Pacific beaches, the sweeping sands of the Gulf of Mexico and the cultural centres of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations.

oneworld Visit Mexico and Central America is now an ideal way of exploring what is the 14th largest country in the word, in terms of land mass, and the eighth biggest in terms of attracting foreign visitors.

It enables travelers to take between two and 16 flights throughout the region, with each sector costing from US$90. The ticket must be bought in conjunction with an international flight with any of the oneworld member airlines to Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama.

The alliance already offers its Visit passes for Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand and Europe, enabling travellers to fly around each region using services by all the alliance's member airlines - and at fares offering savings of up to more than 50 per cent on many flights. oneworld is the only airline alliance offering this kind of pass for all these continents. It also offers a Visit Japan pass.

Visitors to North America will be able to combine a Visit North America pass with a Visit Mexico and Central American pass to enjoy a grand tour of America, Canada, Mexico and Central America. Direct flights from the USA and Canada to Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama will now be included within a Visit North America pass.

Besides its Visit passes, oneworld offers alliance fares for travelling all the way around the world - including oneworld Explorer, the most popular round-the-world fare in the market worldwide - or for flying through several continents, using the services of any oneworld member airline. It was the first in the travel industry to offer customers the convenience of planning and booking any multi-airline round-the-world or any alliance fare on-line, at www.oneworld.com

For full details of all oneworld fares, see oneworld.com

Über Mexicana

Mexicana is the leading carrier in Mexico and Central America. With affiliates MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink, it serves 14 countries and 67 destinations - 37 of them in Mexico. Mexicana itself flies to 41 destinations in 14 countries, including 11 destinations in Mexico. MexicanaClick's network encompasses 29 destinations in Mexico, plus Havana (Cuba), and MexicanaLink operates to 18 destinations in Mexico.

Mexicana operates 63 aircraft - 26 Airbus A320s, 21 A319s, 10 A318s, two A330s, two Boeing 767-200s and two Boeing 767-300s. They operate more than 200 departures a day, using the two-letter airline code MX. Mexicana offers two classes - Executive and Economy - with in-flight entertainment screens throughout the fleet and complimentary in-flight meals and drinks in both cabins.

MexicanaClick operates 24 Fokker 100s and six Boeing 717s, making 160 departures a day. Its Fokker 100s operate a single "Coach plus" style cabin, with leather-covered seats at a 35 ins (89 cm) pitch. Its 717s offer two cabins - Executive and Economy. All passengers are offered complimentary in-flight drinks and snacks.

MexicanaLink operates 12 new-generation Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets with more on order. They offer more than 70 departures a day.

Mexicana boarded 8.3 million passengers in 2008, with MexicanaClick carrying another 3.4 million. Between them, they employ 8,400 staff.

Mexico City - the world's second most populous metropolis - is the airlines' main hub, with Cancun and Guadalajara secondary hubs.

Mexicana has recently completed the migration of its main IT platforms to Amadeus Altea - alongside oneworld partners British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines and Qantas, with Cathay Pacific also committed to transfer to this provider soon.

Among Mexicana's most important bilateral alliance relationships are those with oneworld's American Airlines and Iberia, including code-sharing, frequent flyer links and through check-in. It also has established bilateral relationships with four of the alliance's other existing partners - Cathay Pacific (frequent flyer), Japan Airlines (frequent flyer, code-sharing and through check-in), LAN (frequent flyer and through check-in) and Qantas (code-sharing, frequent flyer and through check-in).

Among its most recent awards, it was named World Travel Awards' Best Airline Mexico and Central America for the 11th year running, Best Business Class Latin America for the third year running and Best Internet Site in Latin America (all in 2007), and Best Airline in Mexico for two years running by Global Traveler magazine.

Mexicana is one of the world's most experienced airlines, starting service in July 1921.

It was privatised in December 2005, and is now owned by a consortium of Mexican private investors.

Mexicana was elected a oneworld member designate in April 2008.

Aboutoneworld

oneworld brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business - American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian, and around 20 affiliates including American Eagle, Dragonair, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru. Mexicana and its affiliates MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink will join the alliance on 10 November 2009 and Russia's S7 Airlines in 2010.

Diese Fluggesellschaften:

Serve almost 750 airports in nearly 150 countries, with some 8,500 daily departures.

Offer nearly 550 airport lounges for premium customers.

Carry some 330 million passengers a year.

Employ 300,000 people.

Operate almost 2,500 aircraft.

Generate some US$100 billion annual revenues in total.

It is the only alliance with any airlines based in Australia, South America or Asia's Middle East.

The alliance enables its members to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. These include a broader route network, opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and points across the combined oneworld network and more airport lounges. oneworld also offers more alliance fares than any of its competitors.

oneworld was voted the World's Leading Airline Alliance for the seventh year running in the latest (2009) World Travel Awards. It is the only winner of this award since it was introduced in 2003.